http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=afp-basket_nba_chn_yao&prov=afp&type=lgns NEW YORK (AFP) - Chinese star center Yao Ming is excited about making a homecoming with his National Basketball Association(NBA) teammates next week when he and the Houston Rockets play two exhibitions against Sacramento. The NBA clubs are set to arrive Tuesday in China and play October 14 in Shanghai and October 17 in Beijing. They will be the first NBA games in China, the first games there by any American sports league in fact, and the first Chinese appearance by an NBA club since Washington played China's national team there in 1979. A quarter-century later, China boasts its own superstar in 2.26m center Yao, who appeared here promoting a new biography and said he hopes his NBA teammates will enjoy their reception. "I hope they can feel the passion of the Chinese fans," Yao said in an NBA website posting. "The days leading up to the games will be crazy." Yao said he feels the responsibility of social pressures as well as sporting ones by being China's first sports superstar in a global league. "There's a lot of pressure in that, so I just try my best to do what I'm supposed to do," Yao said. Yao will take part in an event at the Chinese primary school where he once attended classes as a child. "It's amazing how fast time has gone by since I've been at that school," he said. "What I've learned is that you can't waste any time in your life. You have to use every moment to study and learn. I think it's important for me to go back and teach those kids that." The Rockets feature a new spark with Tracy McGrady, the NBA's top scorer in each of the past two seasons, joining the backcourt. Sacramento is sparked by Serbian star Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber.
i did the same thing.. but what i think it's trying to say is................ "they will be the first NBA games in China" = two NBA teams playing against each other "the first games by any American Sports league" = two teams from the same american league playing against each other "the first Chinese appearance by an NBA club since Washington played China" = it was not an american sanctioned league game, it was just too team playing against each other and one happened to be from america... basically i think the difference is league sanction game vs. individual game
T-Mac have to promote his new shoes while he is in China, and Yao have to do the school event. I hope they have some energy left for the games, because it will look really bad if they gets beaten in their "home court".
This is gona be exciting seeing all the fans. Wasn't there a longggggggg line of people trying to get a ticket? People stood in line for hours and hours & the game was sold out right away??
